Telescopic supports

ABSTRACT

There is disclosed herein an adjustable support, for instance for displaying goods or supporting towels next to household heating radiators of differing lengths, which includes a telescoping bar, elastic means biasing the bar toward longitudinal extension or retraction and clips movable along the bar which are engageable with spaced points on a fixed support, for instance with spaced heating elements on the heating radiator or adjust the distance between the bar and the fixed support.

United States Patent [72} Inventor Marie-Claire Balencon Muret-Haute-Garonne, France 121 1 Appl. N0. 738,628

[22] Filed June 20, 1968 l 45] Patented Mar. 2, 1971 [32] Priority June 23, 1967 [33] France [31] P,V.l11,672

Pat. 1,534,939

M [54] TELESCOPIC SUPPORTS 1 Claim, 10 Drawing Figs. [52] US. Cl 211/86, 21 1/1 05.2, 21 l/105.6, 248/2271, 248/246 [51] Int. Cl A471: 10/10 [50] Field of Search 2] H1052- -l05.6; 248/243, 125, 244, 246, 307, 279, 226.1, 227.1; 21 1/lO5.6,86, 123 [56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 1,215,280 2/1917 Jensen 248/2271 1,270,634 6/1918 Lowe et al. 21l/105.3

Primary Examiner-Roy D. Frazier Attorneys-Charles E. Basley and Thomas E. Tate ABSTRACT: There is disclosed herein an adjustable support, for instance for displaying goods or supporting towels neXt to household heating radiators of differing lengths, which includes a telescoping bar, elastic means biasing the bar toward longitudinal extension or retraction and clips movable along the bar which areengageable with spaced points on a fixed support, for instance with spaced heating elements'on the heating radiator to adjust the distance between the bar and the fixed support.

'rntsscorrc surron'rs The present invention relates to an improved support, for household uses for example,compr ising at least two telescopic bar sections and means for securing the support.

Already well known among such supportsare linen dryers for instance, designed to be suspended from heating radiator elements. The telescopic bars enable the supports to be ex tended and adapted to radiators of different size.

Such supports, however, areadjustable neither heightwise nor depthwise, so that, when they are suspended, both their height and the extent to which they protrude from the radiator will depend on their design dimensions. Further, the hook and abutment suspension system is comparatively bulky andnot pleasing aesthetically.

in addition, when such a dryer is not being used it is not completely retractable, it being possible at the most to diminish the extent to which it projects from the radiator by means of an arrangement of movable abutments.

Lastly, such supports can be suspended only from certain types of radiator for which their hook-type suspension system was specifically designed. v 1

It is the object of the present invention to overcome these disadvantages and to greatly widen the range of possible applications of such a support.

An improved support according to the present invention comprises a bar designed to form a support, more particularly, for household uses, formed of at least two telescopic bar sections and means for securing said bar, the latter being characterized in that said securing means include an elastic member which develops a force for urging the two sections longitudinally, the one, relative to the other, and at least two members designed to bind on to a bearing surface responsively to said force.

Preferably, the elastic member urges the telescopic sections towards each other and may be formed with advantage by a coil spring disposed within' at least one bar section. r

7 It is a particularity oftheinvention that the telescopic sections have their opposite ends angled and each'equipped with a binding member.

it is another particularity of the invention that the weight of the object suspended from the bar (such as a towel) creates a turning moment about an axis passingthrough the binding elements located at each end of the barQ This moment tends to increase the force with which the bar is attached to its support and therefore it prevents sliding of the bar on said support.

lit is another particularity of the invention that the bar need not be horizontal. It can be inclined from one end to the other.

Yet another particularity of the invention is that the telescopic sections have a cross-sectional shape and area adapted to the presumed form of utilization of the support. The cross section may be circular, but may also be polygonal in order to prevent angular movement of the sections relative to each other.

In a preferred form of embodiment, the binding elements are channel section plates having the flanges of this sectional shape elastically joined to the web and eachformed with a hole therein of size somewhat greater than the cross section of the bar, the web being shaped to enable it to bind on the baring surface. 1

These binding elements, are restrained on the bar sections merely by virtue of the elasticity of the two flanges and can be adjusted by being slid along the bar sections.

in a particularly. pertinent application, the bar is a towel rail,

and the web portion of the binding elements is adapted to closely hug the outer surface of heating radiator elements.

It will readily be obvious that a support as hereinbefore devised is adjustable heightwise since it can be fixed to a radiator at any level, and also depthwise since the binding elements are adjustable in position by sliding motion. It can also be fully retracted, with the supporting bar'bearingagainst the radiator.

Further, by compressing the spring inside the telescopic bars to a lesser or greater extent, the support can be adapted to radiators of different size. 1

The description which follows withreference to the accom panying nonlimitative exemplary drawings will give a clear understanding of how the invention can be carried into practice.

In the drawings:

FIGS. l and 2 are respectively from and side elevation views of a binding element according to the invention, depicted in its most elementary form in two different positions on a bar for receiving the same.

FIG. 3 is intended to show the elasticity effect that provides firm mutual restraining action between the bar and the binding element by virtue of thelatters flanges.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are respectively front and side elevation views of an alternative twin-element device for securely uniting two bars. I

FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of another alternative device for securing a shelf to a vertical supporting column.

FIG. 7 depicts another application of a binding element derived from the present invention.

FlGS. 8 and 9 are respectively front elevation and plan views of a detachable towel rail according to the invention, adapted for attachment to a radiator.

FIG. Ill is a detail view showing the manner of utilization of the towel rail of FIGS. 8 and 9 on a flat radiator made of shaped metal plates.

each other. The lower part of FIG. 2 shows, firstly in solid lines, the mutual positions of said flanges 2 and 2' during the fitting operation, and secondly in broken lines (in which the flanges are designated byreference numerals 2a and 2' a), the more angularly spaced relationship of the flanges in their normal relaxed state. 7

The detail view of FIG. 3 shows-that in this particular instance, in which the receiving bar 4 and the holes 3 are of round cross section, the flanges Z and 2', which have an angle of inclination a, contact the bar 4 at two spaced pairs of coplanar points 5, 6 and 5', 6', each such pair of points being diametrically opposed on the corresponding hole.

Before the binding element can be translated along receiving bar 4 it must be loosened by exerting a pressure on it designed to overcome the tendency which the two complementary flanges 2 and 2' have to spring apart by virtue of the elements natural elasticity.

To that end the two flanges could both be pressed towards each other, but in practice pressure on only one of the two flanges will suffice. In the example shown'in FIGS. 1 and 2, in which the element is designed to be moved upwardly from the position in solid lines to the position in dot-dash lines and in which like parts are designated by like numerals followed by the suffix b, the user can simultaneously release and slide the element upwardly merely by pressing upwards on the lower flange 2, in the direction of arrow f FIGS. 4 and 5 depict a derived form of dual device for instantly uniting two bars 4 and 4. The two elements comprising such a device are in this case mutually orthogonal and are joined back to back by their respective webs ii and i, which are traversed by an assembling rivet 7.

FIG. 6 shows an alternative application for the subject device of the invention in which shelves or the like can be instantly restrained at different levels to form goods display supports, or display or storage compartments.

in the device shown in FIG. s, which is basically identical to the binding described, hereinbefore described the two inclined flanges 2 and 2 grip a tubular column 4, but in this particular instance the web I is secured by means of a rivet 'l' to a clevis between the two lugs 3 and ii in which is inserted the edge of a shelf, the beginning of which is designated by reference numeral 9.

F5. '7 shows an alternative form of embodiment of the subicct .v

ice of this invention, which offers the added advantage of causing the restraining effect to be enhanced by the load being supported.

in his exemplary constructional form, the lower inclined flange 2" of the element encompassing column 4 is extended to form a bracket the horizontal flange ill of which supports the edge of shell it. it will readily be appreciated that the downward force exerted by the burden on lower flange 2 will tend to spread the latter further apart angularly from its companion upper flange 2 and advantageously heighten the bindelfect of the element on column FEES. ii and 9 refer to a telescopic towel rail according to the invention, intended to function as a dryer capable of being attached instantly to a central heating radiator, for example.

Said towel rail consists essentially of two complementary l.- shaped bar sections ill and 12, obtained respectively by bending two tube sections of different diameter capable of telescoping smoothly into each other.

' The respective lengths of the longitudinal branches l3 and id of said bar sections are determined so as to enable the device to he fitted instantly to a specific range of radiators difierent number of elements.

Accordingly, the transverse branches l5 and 16 of said two bar sections are each equipped with a binding element which engages between two adjacent vertical uprights E7 of the corresponding radiator elements.

A cap is socket jointed to the outer end of each of said branches and is notched as at E9, whereby the two caps provide two fastening points for two ties 2d the other ends of which are respectively attached to the opposite ends of a coil spring 2?, which the two ties cause to be set under tension.

it will be appreciated that the pulling force exerted by spring 2i is transmitted through the ties 20 and the two transverse branches l5 and it) to the two binding elements, which are thereby urged into firm contact with the radiator uprights 17 whereby to provide secure attachment of the towel rail to the radiator.

the broken lines in FIG. 9 clearly show that the mutual telescoping of the two longitudinal branches l3 and M will allow a device of given design according to this invention to be fitted to a radiator of larger size than the one for which it was originally intended, by causing transverse branch 15, say, to be positioned at a between two contiguous elements of said radiator.

Further, the fact that the binding elements can be slid along the transverse branches l5 and i6 enables the longitudinal bar ll3-l4 to be moved toward or away from the font of the radiator.

Lastly, the plan view in FIG. 9 reveals a rib 22 stamped into the web 1 of the binding elements, by means of which the device can be secured either to a standard type of cast iron radiator or to one made of pressed sheet metal, the beginning of such a radiator being shown at 23 in FlG. it).

The groove produced by rib 22 provides seating for the peripheral lip 24 of such a pressed sheet metal radiator.

()bviously, a binding element as hereinbefore devised may be produced at low cost by routine cutting and stamping operations. Alternatively, separate flanges could he made and fixed to an element serving as a substitute for the web referred to precedingly, to enable such element to be made fast with a bar.

it goes without saying that many changes and substitutions of parts could be made in the embodiments described hereinabove without departing from the scope of the invention. For instance, the flanges of the binding element could extend convergentiy from its web.

l claim:

l. A bar intended as a support mountable on either a first heating radiator which includes a ilurality of parallel spaced elements each comprised of space channel members or on a second heating radiator with laterally terminating lips, the bar comprising in combination:

two mutually telescoping bar sections provided with elastic means for urging them axially toward each other;

each of said bar sections having a bent end and connected to a wedging member arranged to grip between the channel members of a spaced element of said first heating radiator under the urging of said elastic means whereby said wedging members can coact with said elastic means to fasten the bar to said first heating radiator;

at least one of said wedging members comprising a pair of flanges joined together by a web whereby said wedging member describes a generally ll-shaped profile;

each of said flanges provided with a hole slightly greater in section than the cross section of the bar;

the last-mentioned wedging member elastically deformable between a first condition wherein the bar passes freely through said holes for positioning of the bar and a second condition wherein the flanges are inclined relative the bar so that they engage it to hold it in position; and

each of the webs provided with a groove arranged to receive and engage a laterally terminating lip of said second heating radiator under the urging of said elastic means whereby said webs can coact with said elastic means to fasten the bar to said second heating radiator. 

1. A bar intended as a support mountable on either a first heating radiator which includes a plurality of parallel spaced elements each comprised of spaced channel members or on a second heating radiator with laterally terminating lips, the bar comprising in combination: two mutually telescoping bar sections provided with elastic means for urging them axially toward each other; each of said bar sections having a bent end and connected to a wedging member arranged to grip between the channel members of a spaced element of said first heating radiator under the urging of said elastic means whereby said wedging members can coact with said elastic means to fasten the bar to said first heating radiator; at least one of said wedging members comprising a pair of flanges joined together by a web whereby said wedging member describes a generally U-shaped profile; each of said flanges provided with a hole slightly greater in section than the cross section of the bar; the last-mentioned wedging member elastically deformable between a first condition wherein the bar passes freely through said holes for positioning of the bar and a second condition wherein the flanges are inclined relative the bar so that they engage it to hold it in position; and each of the webs provided with a groove arranged to receive and engage a laterally terminating lip of said second heating radiator under the urging of said elastic means whereby said webs can coact with said elastic means to fasten the bar to said second heating radiator. 